Whether you’re suffering from a faulty solid slate drive or simply need a bit of extra hard drive capacity, the idea of taking your MacBook Air to Apple for repair or improvement probably sound expensive and unappealing. Luckily, you can make the upgrades from home, so long as you have a Mac-compatible SSD, a Phillips screwdriver, a Torx screwdriver, a spudger, and some anti-static gear. Follow the steps below get through the process.
Step 1
Lay the MacBook Air upside down on an antistatic mat, and then attach an antistatic wrist strap to yourself to ground any electricity. You don’t want to get a nasty shock from your computer or worse, send a shock through your system that causes even more damage.
Step 2
Unscrew the bottom cover to your MacBook Air. Keep the screws organized and secure, and make sure you’re using a good Phillips head screwdriver to avoid losing or stripping your screws, or forgetting where they go. Once it is unscrewed, remove the cover.
Step 3
Look for the battery. It’s smaller than you might think, but it will be the only component in your system with visible + and – signs. Using a spudger or some other flat-ended tool, pry each side of the battery gently from its socket. Leave the battery disconnected while you work with the SSD, to avoid shorting any components.
Step 4
The SSD will also be smaller than you might expect, and is located just to the right side of the + sign on your battery. It is connected to the system with one small torx retaining screw. Remove the screw, and then use the spudger to lift that end of the drive out of its socket. When possible, take a hold of the edges of the drive and pull the entire thing gently out of the computer.
Once your old SSD is removed, you will have no problem backtracking through your steps to install it, replace the torx screw, replace the battery, and screw the cover back on. Voila! Your MacBook Air has a newly functioning SSD!
Step 1
Lay the MacBook Air upside down on an antistatic mat, and then attach an antistatic wrist strap to yourself to ground any electricity. You don’t want to get a nasty shock from your computer or worse, send a shock through your system that causes even more damage.
Step 2
Unscrew the bottom cover to your MacBook Air. Keep the screws organized and secure, and make sure you’re using a good Phillips head screwdriver to avoid losing or stripping your screws, or forgetting where they go. Once it is unscrewed, remove the cover.
Step 3
Look for the battery. It’s smaller than you might think, but it will be the only component in your system with visible + and – signs. Using a spudger or some other flat-ended tool, pry each side of the battery gently from its socket. Leave the battery disconnected while you work with the SSD, to avoid shorting any components.
Step 4
The SSD will also be smaller than you might expect, and is located just to the right side of the + sign on your battery. It is connected to the system with one small torx retaining screw. Remove the screw, and then use the spudger to lift that end of the drive out of its socket. When possible, take a hold of the edges of the drive and pull the entire thing gently out of the computer.
Once your old SSD is removed, you will have no problem backtracking through your steps to install it, replace the torx screw, replace the battery, and screw the cover back on. Voila! Your MacBook Air has a newly functioning SSD!
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